Mirror by Jeannie Baker

This is one of the most unusual and engaging picture books that I have ever read. The book contains no words and is comprised of two parts which must be read simultaneously. One part reflects the life of an Australian family in Sydney and the other reflects the life of a Morrocan Family in the Valley of Roses, Southern Morocco.

The main message of the book is that although these two families look very different from one another, they are connected by some major themes including love, care and a sense of beloning within the local community. Hence, although the two families live on opposite sides of the world their lives are connected as they are part of the larger global community.

This book would be appropriate for students in primary school from years R-7 and it can lead in to a unit on multiculturalsm, cultural diversity, identity, etc. The main thing that struck me about this book was the intricate details of the images, which look as though they have been collaged. On the last page, Baker states that she did, in fact, collage the images using a combination of natural and artificial materials such as sand, earth, clay, paints, vegetation, paper, fabric, wool, tin and plastic. They are amazing to look at, so I would also encourage you to borrow this book for that reason as well as the fantastic story line and coda.

Kirsty

PS. Here is a short description of the book on Jeannie Baker's website:

http://www.jeanniebaker.com/mirror.htm